Brown's back because he knows talent's there

Despite a long list of injuries that have kept him sidelined for 43 of the past 64 games, Mike Brown is still a key component in the Bears' defense -- as long as he's healthy.

Brown had interceptions on each of the final two days of the weekend's minicamp and looked like the same 2005 Pro Bowl player who always seems to be in the middle of the action and around the ball. He's the starting free safety less than nine months after a torn ACL ended his 2007 season in the first game.

"We've noticed him quite a bit; you've noticed him quite a bit, and that's normally how it goes with Mike out on the football field," Bears coach Lovie Smith said. "He's an all-pro player -- he practices that way. The same player you see on the practice field you see on game day. We need him to be successful, and I see him having the best year he's had so far."

That would be saying something, considering Brown is the all-time franchise leader with 7 defensive touchdowns, including 4 on interceptions and 3 on fumbles; and that he averaged 99 tackles a year in his first four seasons, when he didn't miss a game and started 63 of 64 contests.

But the rash of injuries began in 2004 with a season-ending ruptured Achilles' tendon in the second game of the year. The following season he was voted to the Pro Bowl, even though a calf injury forced him out of the final four regular-season games. Brown's '06 season ended after six games because of a foot injury.

Through four serious injuries and lengthy rehabs, Brown hasn't lost his passion for the game, which is why he's already jacked up about regaining his Pro Bowl form and helping the Bears' defense attain the elite status it enjoyed in 2005 and '06.

"I have a total passion for the game, and I feel that I can still play," Brown said. "If I didn't have my skills, if the injuries were diminishing my skills any, I would think long and hard about it. But every time I come out here and see myself on film, I still look pretty good.

"When I'm on the field, I think I'm one of the best safeties in the league. I have a lot of confidence, and I feel like I bring a lot of enthusiasm, a lot of intensity. I love playing with this team. I love the defense, I think it's conducive to the way that I play and I just want to show people what I can do."

Because the Bears can't be sure Brown will hold up for an entire season, they brought him back this year with a restructured contract that dropped his base salary from $2.44 million to $950,000, although with incentives, it's possible he'll make up the difference. If he's bitter about the situation, Brown's doing a great job of hiding it.

"I think it's definitely fair, because they're giving me an opportunity to make (the same money)," he said. "They're giving me an opportunity -- I just have to be on the field, and I think that's totally fair. I don't think they're losing out on anything, and I don't think I'm losing out on anything because I feel like I will be able to play."